By 2015 the government of Ghana hopes to achieve universal primary education.

However, from 2003 40% of children between the ages of six and eleven have remained out of school because their parents simply cannot afford to pay fees charged by schools. Accordingly, to meet the goals of the plan, the government has decided to abolish all fees charged by schools, as well as providing a grant for each student enrolled. This idea was tested in Ghanas forty most deprived areas in 2004. The results of this were staggering; enrolment rose by 14.5%. Pupils in highly deprived areas are now provided with one meal a day as well as a school uniform. In an interview with UNICEF Radio, Adam Abdulai Iddrisu, the head teacher of Zoozugu Primary School in the Tamale region of northern Ghana said that he has gone house to house to gather up school-age students, and is determined to gather 100% of the children in his community. The actions of Iddrisu are in stark contrast to that of fishermen who travel house to house for the purposes of child trafficking. Ghana is trapped in a continuous spiral: parents are unable to afford education, so take their children out of school and into work, this creates a new generation of uneducated Ghanaians, who like their parents cannot afford to educate their own children and so the cycle continues. The abolition of school fees should help put an end to this. Nonetheless, despite the results and efforts of those involved in this plan, there are key challenges that must be overcome in order for the goal to be reached. One of the issues is inevitable: overcrowding. With the number of students rising from 2.78 million in 2003 to the expected 3.73 million by 2015, there will be a cost of 4192 classrooms to be built in public schools up until 2015. This will lead to a shortage of furniture and sanitation facilities, which must also be dealt with. Other issues include a shortage of teachers, more specifically qualified teachers who can provide quality education. Whats more, cultural practices mean that it will be harder for girls to be enrolled, as parents prefer to keep them at home carrying out duties such as fetching water and caring for younger siblings. Based on theses issues, Mr Iddrisu suggest that parents, themselves, need to be educated about the importance of schooling for their children, as well as this, the government must create incentives for teachers to work in rural areas, where their help is vital. Yes, there is still a long way to go, however this is a stepping stone that will eventually lead to a more educated Ghana. One that, in the

future will be able to use its resources, without the help of the western world and fair-trade, to create a globally powerful nation and fully overcome poverty. Onsse Hassan, YDG Junior Journalist